The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-06-03
GOSSIP FROM THE HUB.
WHY NIGHT CABMEN SOMETIMES
BECOME BIRDS OF PREY"

Tho Glittsring Bubble Of tho West End
Land Company Reaches the splatterins
Point-Big Profits Of the Theaters-
Councilmen's Appetites.
Boston, June /.
Turkey has It's bash i-baxouks, the Indian
sea its Malay pirates, New York its alder.
men and Boston its herdic drivers.
The herdic driver by day may take your
life or limb in his mad career; the night
cabby may not be satisfied without your
pocket book.
The other night one-horse vehicle rat
tied up to corner near the old state house
on State street; the driver got
off and dragged onto the sidewalk
the sprawling, kicking figure of
q drunken man. To q passer this unfortu-
nate explained that he had paid the driver
Us to take him to the Fitchburg depot.
Another inebriate soon after staggered into
police station to complain that he had
been robbed Of 500 by some cabman.
These night-hawks-poor devils!-have
hard time. They must pay the COM
panies from which they hire the
cabs $3.50 a night each, and must con-
trive to get that sum and their own living
out Of the public. They are driven to lot
Of dirty work to raise this money.
Scollay square is one of the principal
rendezvous for the night-hawks. On the
stormiest nights they may be seen on every
corner peering into the face Of each passer
and listening for approaching footsteps that
they may miss no chance.
The square is one of the great valves Of
the city's heart From the neighborhood
horse cars run to every quarter OF the city
OF the multitude who live north of the
Charles river and seek their work, amuse-
ment and food in Boston two-t thirds pass
through this square, 1t was the center OF
colonial Boston, and is now the central
gathering place of the great population
packed into what are known as the North
and West Ends.
Here too the knaves and outcasts of that
quarter have their hunting ground, and
make cab-drivers their allies. The rake
whose attention is attracted by bold face
and saucy word from some lettering woman
will quickly hear the rattle of cab wheels at
his side and the voice OF the driver urging
him to take advantage Of the opportunity.
The business is so open and shameless
that he must be blind and deaf who is not
aware of it. My reason for mentioning it
here is not to show how vice is made easy,
but to show one of the dangers which beset
young women in the crowded town. 1t is
not alone the vicious whom these night
hawks watch.
Boston girls 60 about at night With much
ofFthe freedom characteristic Of New Eng
land, and perhaps on the whole with little
more danger than in the smaller towns
But even the glare Of the electric lights and
the presence OF an occasional policeman do
not make this square safe place for the
innocents.
have more than once, at midnight, seen
some affrighted girl, taken from home, per-
haps on late errand, pestered with offers
of escort from some strange youth whose Of
fers of protection had a suspicious sound,
while behind these people from three to five
cabs followed in procession close to the side
walk. scene suggestive of a file of birds
OF prey alighting upon carcass.
Homeliness, that last refuge of virtue,
seems to be no protection against these vul-
lures.
Provincial as Eoston may appear to New
York show people, she supports her theaters
remarkably well, as is shown by the fact
that the manager of the Boston theater con-
fesses to q net profit Of $50, 600, in the past
season. The Park, the Hollis and the Mu-
scum have also had phenomenal sea-
sons The memorable events of the year
were three: Edwin Booths presentation Of
King Lear, which many consider the great
est piece Of acting known to the modern
stage; PATHS few appearances and Bern
hardt's week, notably her impersonation of
Theodora-in which the magnetism of her
10 o1{ WilcCy,
rett has proved that Hamlet can be
represented as consistent play rather
than as series of detached, in
consistent scenes and Incompetent
sible characters, after Booths method.
Barrett also brought here the most remark
able play of the year-Claudian. Unfor-
tunately for the rest of the country he didn't
see fit to give it generally.
Harbor Lights ran seventeen weeks at thu
Museum, and Held by the Enemy ten weeks
Dixie held the Hollis for twelve weeks,
Boucicault seven and Mod djeska four Some
good receipts were as follows: Tanning of
the Shrew, $1,000; Jekyll and Hyde,
$500; Patti, two nights, $4,000; The Pri-
vate secretary, $906l. Ninetyfour com
panies have appeared here and fifty-two
productions new to the city have been
given.
This weeks important bills are: Nat
Goodwin at the Park, The World at the
Boston and Evangeline at the Hollis.
The appearance of Daly's company in the
Tanning of the Shrew has been as brilliant
as was expected. Ada Rehan makes a
fascinating ''shrew''-almost too fascna-
ting, for though one is compelled to admire,
afterthought strengthens the reflection that
her mad temper has too much method in it;
her passionateness has an object-her own
sweet willard is not the headstrong reck-
lessness of an unbroken mustang; but per-
haps that was the idea of the old author
from whom SHAKESPEARE is said to have
boucicaulted the play
**.
Rarely has the value Of courage in news
paper work been SO we'll illustrated as in
the exposure by The Advertiser and its af-
ternoon annex Of the West End speculation.
1t was sad blunder when the promoters of
the scheme, failed to "fix" that paper, for
to it is due almost the sole credit of COM
pelling the schemers to cut down their pro-
posed issue of preferred, guaranteed-1O -1O-per-
cent. dividend stock to something like the real
value of the property they proposed to
absorb and to take their hands off the Com
mon. Having let the water out of the
land company The Advertiser is now en-
.~o.,oJ -. N l,,JohIo affore IN provout tho